After Ogygia
by mischmatched
Summary: Leo rescued Calypso from Ogygia, navigating using the Argo II. What they hadn't expect was that Calypso's freedom may have consequences, and now she was determined to keep him safe by not loving him despite her rivaling feelings and his pleas. How would their fate turn out in the hands of the titaness of Law, Themis? /Love & pain / Caleo / My first upload—hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello to anyone who's reading this :)**

 **This is my take on what happened after Leo freed Calypso from her island. They're my second favourite ship in the series (nothing's beating Solangelo just yet) and I just love them together so even if the story includes pain, know they are facing it together. I don't want to be an evil writer, but honestly, who isn't sometimes? *devil emoji***

 **I wrote this Caleo fanfic a while ago but never uploaded it. I now want to continue the story and will try my best to do so.**

 **Enjoy the first chapter!**

 **\- m**

 **Chapter 1**

Calypso stood on the shore of Ogygia. She knew it was impossible for him to come back, that it was pointless waiting, but she just couldn't let go of the hope building inside of her.

As the sun started to set, she waited a little bit more. An hour passed, the sky began to darken as each minute ticked by. Calypso lingered on desperately before she turned on her heels and started back inside, disappointment welling inside of her. She made it a few frustrated steps before the sound of oars creaking and waves crashing startled her. She turned around in an instant, her heart thumping rapidly with every shred of hope and excitement it has. When she spotted a giant ship she had to hold herself back. No need to gain false hope. But the scrawny figure standing on the deck of the ship, the Argo II, hands wrestling some sort of controller, almost made Calypso faint with joy. It can't be.

Excitement bubbled inside of her as she giddily ran head first into the ocean, her right foot tripping on the heel of her left one. She scrambled up, not even waiting to smooth back her wet hair, saturated with seawater. She stopped abruptly when she saw the figure on the deck, now standing in front of her—how did he get here so fast?—, his body a black silhouette as he covered the big setting sun from where she stood.

Calypso threw her body against his. "YOU CAME BACK!" she shrieked.

Leo stumbled back by the force of her embrace, his face alight with pleasant surprise.

"Of course I came back!" he said. "I told you—"

Calypso grasped his shirt pulled him in, planting a giant kiss on his lips, not even giving time for him to catch his breath. His lips felt warm against hers. She gave everything she could into that kiss. All her happiness, her gratefulness, her love.

It took a moment before his hands found her hair and was tangled in it.

"I so hate you!" she said against his lips, sounding very elated.

"I can totally tell." Leo wiped the sand from Calypso's face as she leaned back.

They stood like that for a while, looking at each other. Then Leo remembered his crewmates. Calypso didn't notice, she was busy drinking in his smile, his eyes, his lips. Everything.

"Hey, hold on," he whispered to her. She stepped back, her fingers twined around his. When she saw the people standing on the ship, her grip tightened.

"Calypso? It's okay, relax." Leo looked awkwardly at his friends. "Uh, guys, this is Calypso—"

"I can see that!" Percy yelled back. When he spoke, a thousand thoughts jumbled in Calypso's mind. Percy looked casual enough, but the uncertainty underneath his mask of nonchalance still showed through.

The rest, even coach Hedge, stood in stunned silence. But the satyr was fast to recover. "Well, Fire Boy's girlfriend, eh? Why don't you invite her up?"

Piper joined in, "Yeah, Leo. We'd love to meet Calypso." She flashed a warm smile of genuine joy at him. Leo smiled back.

He started forward, but Calypso's hesitation made him stop. He turned around to face her. "I know this is a big step, but I'm here now, with you. And I plan for it to be that way the rest of my life."

Calypso regained her composure and tore her gaze away from the ship, staring up at him. Her lips quirked up for a second, forming a small, fleeting smile. "Alright," she said softly.

Leo squeezed her hand. They started towards the ship, wading through the sparkling blue water.

When Calypso reached the Argo II, all she could do was stare. It was a huge ship, even from a distance, but it's just so much bigger up close. Even so, it's not hard to believe Leo built it all. He could pretty much build anything.

Leo kept Calypso by his side, making sure she knew what was going on.

"What's this?" Calypso asked, pointing at the TV screens in the mess hall.

"That's a TV."

"Tee-vee… why are you keeping a camp in it? And why are there people?" Her voice was rising. "Very little people. Wait— are they trapped? Leo what are you doing?"

Leo almost laughed. He held it in, sputtering with the effort. "No, Calypso, that's a TV," he explained, not really helping the matter. "And that is camp Half-Blood. It's streaming live time. Nothing's—no one's—trapped. It's just a video. Scenes playing real-time."

Calypso still looked pretty confused, but she just nodded and moved on, her thoughts wandering on something else. Someone else.

Percy had apologized.

Calypso hadn't taken it too well, but she couldn't stay troubled for too long. After all, her real hero was here. Right next to her. When Leo had came back for her, Calypso realized how much more she had missed him. She thought it wasn't possible that he would return, even though she couldn't help the hope building inside of her. But him standing here reassured her that this wasn't a dream, it was real. A month ago, she wouldn't believed someone who told her that she would love Leo, that he would save her. A month ago, the idea wouldn't even have crossed her mind.

The day moved on and they spent the night walking the Argo II. The others left them to their own devices, though Calypso felt Leo was troubled by something. When she asked, he just muttered, "Coach Hedge" and something that sounded like, "the Percy and Annabeth incident", although she had no idea what that meant.

"Thanks Leo," said Calypso suddenly while they were walking.

Leo looked at her, making a face. "For what?"

"You know what."

"For getting you out of that island? It's not a choice. I had to do it."

She whirled around to face him. "That's just it. Not everyone thinks like that, Leo. Of all the people that washed onto my shore, did any of them tried to free me? Did any of them come back for me?"

Leo was about to mention that Percy tried, but since that didn't exactly went well, he decided not to. "Well… I mean… It's just—you know, I had to."

Calypso smiled. "That's the difference." She looked straight into his eyes, her expression turning serious. Her gaze flickered to a grease spot on Leo's forehead, and she was tempted to wipe it away, but soon her eyes were focused on his again. "This, this is the greatest day of my life. Leo, I really don't know… Thanks."

Leo smirked. "Well, you could reward me with more—"

Calypso leaned forward and met him with her lips. She felt him smile.

Just then, a violent wind passed by, knocking Leo off his feet.

"Leo?" Calypso said wonderingly. She steadied him. "Where did that come from? It's not a very breezy night."

"I—I don't know," he replied. "There's no sign of a storm or anything." Leo stood still, waiting to see if it will happen a again. One of his hands gripped the rail, the other holding onto Calypso's. For a demigod, the smallest thing is worth being alert for.

This time, an even stronger wind pushed passed them. The boat lurched violently a beat after.

Coach Hedge stepped out of his hiding place behind a barrel, yelling "Die!"

Calypso raised her eyebrows. Leo looked appalled.

Soon the others gathered on the deck. Leo ran over to the controls.

"What's happening?" Jason yelled. Each wind that passed by was stronger than the last. The breezes now trailed a sort of golden light, so the whole ship was within a blanket of gold wisps.

"I don't know! These winds just keep coming!" Leo wrestled the Nintendo controller, triggering some buttons. Nico stood looking troubled, Hazel and Frank beside him. One of the golden wisps passed by Percy and swallowed him whole into its orb of light.

Annabeth opened her mouth when another wisp flew right into her. Her body seemed to fade along with the light.

"Annabeth!" Piper yelled, but her voice was drifting away. Jason held her hand tightly, pulling her back.

"Calypso! Guys! Get below deck," Leo ordered.

"What? We're not leaving you!" Jason yelled back.

"Do it! These golden babies ain't sparing anyone! Calypso, go, now!" Leo shouted, but his voice was barely audible.

Calypso said something he couldn't make out. No one budged, instead they stood helpless on the deck.

Then the winds got impatient. At once, it swallowed all six of them. Frank, Hazel, Nico, Jason, Piper and coach Hedge all dissipated into thin air, their screams echoing.

"No!" Leo cursed, so frustrated he wanted to pull his hair out. Seeing that fighting with the controller isn't going to do any good, he threw it down and reached for Calypso's hand.

He felt shattered when he saw the horrified look on her face. Her first day out of Ogygia and it had to end up like this. Leo didn't know what to do other than to try and protect her.

The winds started to die down. Finally, it stopped. A voice echoed through the ship. _You have broken the punishment. You have freed the girl. She shouldn't have left Ogygia_. The voice was vibrating, ringing with power. It seemed to suck in the winds close to it.

"Wha—" Leo looked around, hoping to see where it was coming from. Hearing what it said just made him feel even more protective of Calypso. "I did the right thing! The gods were unfair. They punished her for something she didn't start."

 _Now since you have freed the girl, you must be punished._

For a split second, the world seemed to stop. Leo's head was a knot of confusion. His brain screaming, What is happening?! Time slowed, everything was silent. Then he drew his breath in sharply, suddenly. A sharp pain spread from his shoulder.

Calypso screamed, "Leo!"

He looked down. The tip of a blade was protruding through his shoulder. A look of horror passed his face.

"Leo! Look at me. Stay still." He did. Calypso pulled the knife from his body, her fingers white as they wrapped around the hilt tighter. Leo gritted his teeth from the pain. Red spread through his white shirt.

"Leo. Look. You're gonna be fine. I never should have—" Calypso's voice broke. There was a clank as the knife slid from her hand and landed onto the wooden floor. Then she wanted to kick herself. She wasn't helping.

 _Yes, you never should have, girl. You never should have left Ogygia. Now this boy will suffer because of you!_

Leo opened his mouth, but his voice didn't seem to work. He slid down to a sitting position, clutching his knees.

Calypso's breath quickened. She ripped a piece of fabric from her dress, pulled Leo's shirt away from his shoulder, and began applying pressure to the gash. She teared a part of his shirt away.

Calypso held Leo's face. "Stay with me. Leo, stay with me. Please." She started to sing. It helped clear Leo's mind a little. Calypso kept singing, though her voice was tense and weak. She took a deep breath and tried to steady her tone, singing clearer and stronger. She eased him down so he was lying on his back. The ship still vibrated with power.

Suddenly, Calypso yelped and pulled her hand away. It was red and hot and trembling. Leo's faced steamed. His whole body steamed. His eyes fluttered shut.

"What are you doing to him?" Calypso shrieked. "Stop!" Tears welled in her eyes. "Please! I will return to Ogygia. Just like you wish. I will return to Ogygia. I'll do whatever you want. Just leave him alone, please."

Leo wanted so badly to yell out his disagreement. He wanted to get up and hug Calypso so she would never slip away. His body had other ideas. His breath became more ragged and uneven, his body turning hotter. The thoughts he had just been thinking of a second ago almost seemed to be swallowed up by the raging fire inside of him.

"Stop!" Calypso screamed again.

Finally, the voice boomed once more, _Your fates have been chosen. You will face what comes next together._

There was a blinding light and suddenly, they were somewhere else.

* * *

Calypso eyes darted around rapidly for a moment. They were sitting in a room with white columns. The marble floor underneath them felt cool. The room was vast and airy, but Calypso didn't stop to stare any longer. Leo needed her. She checked the wound in his shoulder, which didn't bleed as much as before. But he laid there motionless, his face sickly gray and devoid of the vibrancy it usually emitted.

Calypso held back a sob, her face stiff of dried tears. She ripped more fabric from her dress and started pushing down on the wound again.

She didn't know what to do. Usually she had her herbs and plants. Now she had nothing to cure him. The feeling of helplessness was worse than ever, eating at her. She just wanted to scream. Unfortunately, she didn't think that would help.

Blood was already seeping the piece of fabric Calypso was holding. She cursed and lifted it. The gash looked horrible. Leo's skin felt feverishly hot, though he was no longer steaming.

Calypso suddenly felt her neck tingle. Her vision blurred. When they were back in focus, she noticed that sitting on a throne in front of her was a woman. The woman was clear and translucent, although you could still see the bends and points of her features as it warps the background behind her.

The woman started to speak. Calypso realized that her voice was the same as the one she heard earlier on the ship.

"Calypso. For three thousand years you have been banished by the gods. Cursed to love just to be heartbroken. To meet a man you will fall for just for him to leave you. Now—"

"No! I know my story, just cure him! I'll do whatever you wish. I'll do anything."

The clear, warped surface of the woman shifted for a moment then smoothed out. "Do you know who I am?" she demanded cooly.

"I—"

"I am Themis!" the woman boomed. As she said her name, she morphed into her true form. A titaness with a greek toga. She wore a blindfold over her eyes. On one hand she held a long, slim sword, the other carrying a balance scale. "The goddess of order, law, and justice."

She turned her head down on Calypso. Even though her eyes are covered, it felt like her gaze was intense and searing behind the fabric. "This boy here had broken a punishment. Therefore, he broke something that shouldn't be broken. This was not how it should turn out."

"Well, maybe you can't see with that blindfold of yours but, this boy here, IS DYING," Calypso protested, trying not to break down and sob.

"As he should."

What?! Calypso's breathing became quicker and quicker. "All he did was brought me out of that island Ogygia after three thousand years of me being there. The gods—and I mean the big ones—might've forgotten it by now. And his punishment is death?! You're the goddess of divine law and order. This right here doesn't make any bit of sense!" Calypso wanted to cry. She looked down at Leo, her arms holding him.

"Do not yell at me, girl. You do not know what I'm capable of."

After seeing Themis—at least she thought it was Themis—send a knife out of nowhere to pierce Leo, Calypso figured she had had enough of what this woman can do.

The goddess kept her head turned on Leo and Calypso. "Son of Hephaestus," she scoffed. "A pathetic excuse for a boy." Her lips curled in disgust.

Calypso wanted to scream, You have no right to say that! But at first she herself did underestimated Leo. Especially when he was the hero the gods had sent her when she was in a bad mood. Now he was the only person she loved. He was better than anyone else she had ever met. He just don't know it. Calypso was about to change that.

"Help him, please. Like I said, I would do anything." Calypso's heart slammed rapidly against her chest. She checked Leo's pulse, which was now much more sluggish. His breathing was too shallow.

"Then let it happen like this." The goddess flicked her wrist and orbs of golden light—eight in total—materialized out of thin air and flew towards her. The light grew, revealing eight demigods.

"Where—wait. Piper? Guys?" Jason looked around, dazed.

"Annabeth!" Percy said, just as Annabeth yelled, "Percy!"

"What in Hades?" Hazel said in confusion. The mist around them cleared.

"Where's Le—" Jason's expression turned to horror when he saw Leo.

"Oh my gods!" Piper ran towards, the others behind her. "What happened to him?"

Calypso began to speak, but Themis did so first. "Demigods. What you're seeing here—"

"Wait, you're responsible for this? What did you do to him?" Jason demanded.

"I didn't even say anything yet!" Themis huffed. "Are all demigods this arrogant and demanding?"

"I don't have my bat!" coach Hedge exclaimed gruffly with realization, but he was shaking with anger. "Lady, if you're behind this, you're gonna get it hard."

"Silence!" Themis yelled. "I will talk, and you will let me talk." She clenched her jaw, daring anyone to object.

Percy seemed to take on the challenge. "Look, our friend here is dying. We don't have much patience. So either you heal him now or things are gonna get ugly."

"You, a little demigod, are threatening a goddess like me? I am Themis, goddess of divine order, law, natural law, and custom. Your friend here had broken a punishment by freeing this girl."

"It was not his fault! It was the gods' fault for being unfair!" Percy said.

"Hmph. Always looking at the gods to blame, I see? Well no matter how unfair you think the gods may be, I am still Themis, a titaness, goddess of order and justice, and I will fulfill my task."

"By killing someone because they saved a person?" Jason asked. "How orderly do you think that is?"

"We don't have much time. Leo's dying," Piper said, her voice trembling. "Themis, cure him. What do you want in exchange?"

"I don't want anything in exchange," the titaness said, pronouncing the words carefully with discorn. "Your friend is not dying, not if he is not destined to. My job is to keep everything in balance, not to wrongly punish someone just because of my spite.

"Here's how this is going to work. The boy will lay in one of the pans." Themis gestured to her scale. "If this son of Hephaestus is strong enough, if his goodness outweigh his crime, he will live."

The titaness dturned her head over them, stopping on Calypso, who felt sick and nauseated.

Calypso's throat felt dry, but she managed to choke out, "And if he isn't? Strong enough, or if his goodness—" Leo was good enough, he was better than enough, she knew of course. But—

"Then," Themis's golden scale caught the light, "he will die."


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with the second chapter! This is only the beginning but I hope you're liking it so far.**

 **Let's see where Themis's words gets Leo and Calypso in this supposedly not-meant-be relationship.**

 **Welp, you can get to the story now :)**

 **Chapter 2**

"Help," Leo croaked, his voice hoarse and barely audible. The hard rocky surface was hot beneath his damp, bloodied shirt, and all he could do was look to the side and breathe shallowly, trying make out where he was. Trying to make out what this horrible, empty, scorched place was.

It can't be Tartarus, can it? Unfortunately, his vision was blurred, which wasn't helping him discern his surroundings, and there was a faint aching sensation in his right shoulder. Where is everybody? Leo thought. Where am I?

He pressed his elbow against the ground to push himself up and cried out as something sharp pierced his skin. Leo shook his head, blinking, trying to clear the hazy glaze in his eyes. As he sat up, the world tilted before it righted again. It took a moment, but he could finally see with better clarity the browns and reds of this place as well his arm, for it had a thin trail of blood trickling down it from his elbow to his hand.

Glass. It was everywhere on the ground. He was sitting on broken pieces of it right now. Leo tried inhaling deeply, and choked. The air burned his nostrils like it also consisted of a billion solid shards and fragments. A sudden spasm sent flaring pain up his right shoulder when he coughed. "Help," he rasped again even though there was no one around. Gods, what is this place? He stood up and almost instantly stumbled over. Suddenly, his vision glitched like static noise on a TV screen. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ringing ears, falling to his knees.

His mind raced, filling up with questions as fear rose in his chest. The noise stopped in the next second, and Leo opened his eyes to the same glass-littered terrain, the blood red horizon. "What's happening?" he whispered to no one. "Why am I—" the static and ringing cut in again. He shook his head, groaning, before it abruptly switched off, like it was never there.

"Stop, please!" he yelled to the air above him, hands still flat over his ears. "If—if you put me here—if one of you decided to just—" Another burst of pain erupted on his shoulder and Leo clutched it as blood seeped through his fingers. His teeth gritted as he then recalled something: the memory of a dagger flying through the air. And now he's sent here, to a place that wanted to kill whatever thing still alive. Raising his head up again, he pleaded to the Gods, "Stop hurting me." He gasped. "Please. Wh—where's everyone? Where is Calypso?" His eyes scanned the glinting pieces of glass. "Why am I here?"

He wasn't going to die in this place. Though he was immune to fire, he wasn't going to die in a place where heat would engulf him like flames. He wasn't going to die in this stifling atmosphere. He wasn't going to die in hell. Leo was sure now. That was where he was, wasn't it? Tartarus? It was where Percy and Annabeth had been. Where they barely survived.

Damn memory gaps. How did he get here? Who made him get here? And where the heck is everybody?

Leo sat down defeatedly, burying the fingers of one hand in his hair. He didn't care about the glass, it didn't cause such a big difference to his current state. The feeling of slippery, warm blood trickling from his shoulder down his body was almost unbearable. His clothes was sticking to his skin, wet blood soaking through dried blood, his energy being sapped into this deadly atmosphere. He licked his parched lips. All he wanted… all he wanted was to save someone he cared for. Someone imprisoned on the same island for thousands of years. Gods. I just wanted to make things better, Leo thought, suddenly responding to the voice he heard on the Argo II. Then he started to feel wetness on his cheeks. He rubbed at his face. Was he crying? Here? Ugh, carajo. Why am I doing this? he asked himself. Wallowing in all this desolation, he'd soon be even more broken than the glass on the ground.

I'm not staying here, he thought.

I'm getting myself out.

But how? Suddenly remembering, Leo looked down. Hope was like a balloon deflating in his chest. He didn't have his tool belt, or a weapon. Just himself. Alone in hell. Alone in his thoughts.

Another episode of static vision and ringing ears hit then, making his fingers curl into the earth, but this time, it didn't stop.

* * *

 _"Wake up,_ hijo _." His mother stood at the window, smiling down at him squinting against the brightness of the sunlight. "_ Hora de levantarse _, it's a new day today."_

 _Leo continued to lay there, blinking away the glaring morning light. He was feeling lethargic, not at all like getting up, just like staring at his mother through half-closed eyelids._

 _"Wake up, Leo." His mother nudged him as the curtains shook back and forth repeatedly, constantly altering the brightness of the room by themselves. His brows furrowed. "Wake up, Leo,_ please _."_

 _Wait, Leo thought, That isn't the voice of my mother._

 _"_ Please _!"_

* * *

Leo lurched upright, crying out when his forehead banged hard against something.

Calypso yelped, jerking back. "Leo!" she shrieked, quickly recovering from the strong contact of their heads. She hurried closer to him, her eyes wide with frenzy.

He brought a hand up to rub above his brow and instantly bit his lips. Wrong arm, he thought, grimacing. He recognized the metallic taste now on the tip of his tongue.

"Leo." Calypso wrapped her fingers over his, searching his face with deep concern. "Talk to me." She sounded terrified.

Leo looked up. "Are you okay?" he asks.

Calypso's face contorted as if she was trying not to cry. "I was, no, I was scared to death. Leo—Gods—do you know where we are? No, of course you don't. I thought—there was a titaness, she wanted—I thought you might—" Tears erupted down her face. She wiped them away hastily with the skirt of her dress, which was smeared with small patches red. My fault, she mouthed, bottom lip trembling. I'm so sorry.

Leo's brows knit together. "Don't be," he whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his him, and he tried his best to hold her without causing more pain to his shoulder. Oh gods, what are we getting into? he thought, smelling the scent of sweat and cinnamon from her. His mind was still a blank.

"We were teleported here, somehow, and I'm not sure where 'here' is," Calypso explained calmly, pulling back to look at him with poorly-disguised misery. "But it's where Themis is. She is the goddess of law. I—" Her voice broke, becoming lower and more quiet. "I don't know what to do."

Jarring them both, Themis's voice boomed. "Leo Valdez, what have you seen?"

Leo turned back, and he was met with the startling image of a large goddess seated on a white throne statue. "What?"

The titaness remained still, her head inclined towards them.

"Did you—did you put me down there?" Leo demanded. "Why is this happening? This isn't normal—"

"What you did wasn't normal. What did you see… down there?"

The titaness knew something, Leo could tell from her pause. His heartbeat raced. "I—I saw nothing."

"Don't be like that," chided Themis. "Perhaps an easier question: where were you?"

"I was…" he faltered. Themis's golden scale caught his attention then. Confused, Leo remained silent.

"Not willing to answer the question? I shall do it for you." The scale ever so slightly tipped over, becoming more imbalanced. "Tartarus. You were in Tartarus, weren't you?"

He felt Calypso's grip tighten on his hand, as if she wanted to keep him from leaving her.

"Your punishment is to be decided," Themis said.

"No…" Calypso whispered.

"What did I do?" he protested. "Why—why aren't the gods doing anything?"

"They don't care," Calypso replied flatly.

Themis resumed, "I may not be one of the twelve olympians, but I am the goddess of justice. I have been responsible for maintaining order for millenia. This is no different. The demigod will not die." Her raised voice filled the air, cutting Calypso off. "He was in Taurus, but there were no monsters, just the land and air of Tartarus." Her balance scale shifted, becoming a bit more even. Her head shifted slightly towards Calypso. "You want to help him? Don't break this promise: you will not return the feelings the boy have for you. I am not to kill your emotions, you can have them. But if are to show them to him, no matter the circumstance, the demigod's life will be on the line."

Leo turned. Calypso paled, looking like she was just punched in the gut.

The pair of scales readjusted themselves, and Themis returned to her original sitting position, with her back straight and stiff as a metal rod, head facing forwards. "That is your price, fulfill it, or suffer the consequences."

What? Leo's mind screamed. She's not allowed to— He opened his mouth to object when a gust of wind engulfed them. The last thing he saw was the rippling, translucent form of the Greek titaness through the deafening gale before he was whisked away with Calypso.


	3. Chapter 3

**So last chapter I got a review saying that Percy already asked the gods for Calypso's release so the Themis should not have had interfered with the demigods but instead work it out with the gods. So—as you know, in the PJO/HOO/TOA series Rick Riordan already determined what happened to Leo and Calypso after Leo rescued Calypso from Ogygia. There's already an official ending to that.**

 **My story does not take into account everything that has occured in the the PJO/HOO/TOA series, this is just an alternative ending because I love Caleo and want to write about them. Again, this is MY TAKE on what happens after the rescue. Themis wasn't really an evident character in the official series, but I wanted her to be the first god figure in this fanfiction because, well, that's just MY storyline. I don't intend the reader to envision every single detail of the official series to be what had happened before this fanfic.**

 **Sorry this is kinda long.**

 **—Anywho, third chap here we come.**

 **m**

 **Chapter 3**

The ship rocked back and forth leisurely as urged by the lapping waves. Leo sat on the dock alone when his name was shouted out by multiple people. Glancing up, he noticed everyone coming towards him, Hazel leading.

Everyone—except for Calypso.

"Leo! Are you alright?" Hazel asked, making her way towards him with astounding speed. She placed a hand gingerly on his shoulder.

"What happened?" inquired Jason, standing before Leo with his brows furrowed.

Others murmured their questions, waiting for answers, with coach Hedge, who yelled "Die!" as an exception.

Unfortunately, Leo did not want to be the one answering. He just wanted his own confusion consoled by one person, and she wasn't even here with him. Why wouldn't she be here with him?

Seeing the dejected look on his face, Piper said, "Guys, Leo looks like he's okay. You're not hurt anymore, right Leo? Physically…?" She waved the word away. "Your shirt is clean. Looks like the goddess might've reversed the injury. But… do you want to talk to us? At least tell us what Themis said?"

Percy cocked his head to one side, waiting with the rest of the group.

Usually, Leo would love to pull off an awesome prank and have everybody give admiring glances approval. But he didn't pull of a prank, and nobody was smiling now. Currently, he didn't want to be at the center of attention of all of the— _almost_ all of the crew members of the _Argo II_. The warmth of Hazel's hand was seeping into his skin, and it felt a bit too hot for comfort. "Uh, I just need to—some time to think," he says awkwardly. "Figure things out… Alone."

"But what's going on?" Percy wondered. "What did she make you do? Is it a quest? We're going to help you. And we might've been caused to vanish after a second of seeing you hurt so, um, missing information? You sure you're all right?"

"I'm—" Leo sighed. "Yes, I am. No, she didn't give us a quest—none of the sort. It's… different." Leo clamped his mouth shut, looking back at the son of Poseidon. Finally (to his relief) Hazel's hand slipped off his shoulder. Leo exhaled, his legs anxious to go off searching for the person he needed to see.

"Talk to us when you feel like it, okay?" Hazel encouraged, sharing concerned glances with Piper. Leo noticed.

"Hey, it's fine guys." He stood up, waving them off. "It's no big deal…" He licked his lips, trying to ignore how false he just sounded. "I'm fine. We're okay now, it looks back to normal enough." He glanced to the side. "I'll find Calypso. Um, we can keep moving now. To our destination… now that we're done with Ogygia."

As Leo shuffled forward slowly, the crowd began to dissipate and his heart started to pick up its pace again. Cal, Calypso, he thought, and went off to find her.

A single knock sounded at the brown door, and Calypso jumped, standing up from the wooden crate she was sitting on. Please leave, she thought to whoever it was.

* * *

The handle turned, and dread filled her when she saw him.

He didn't say anything for a while, just stared at her. She averted her gaze away.

"Calypso," he started, his voice hollow. "I'm sorry—"

"Why are _you_ sorry?" she snapped, and he flinched. She pursed her lips at the look on his face, wanting to say something when Themis's words stopped her. It was befuddling, and consequently, questions quickly crowded her mind.

Did the goddess meant that she couldn't talk to Leo normally at all?

Could she even tell him that she didn't know what to do when that might show that she still cared?

How could she ever talk to him when she wasn't even sure if she was supposed to act detached from everything, or just fakely, platonically friendly—if that was what Themis wanted?

How to keep him safe? What was the extent of this ambiguous rule? Calypso took a faltering step back, and the frown on Leo's face deepened. "I—" she stammered, "I don't even know if I should talk to you."

"Cal, please—"

"Can I go back to Ogygia?" she blurted.

Leo bit down on his lip hard. "You want to…"

"Can you bring me back?" she told him. "I—I want to go back. I don't want to stay here." So much about not knowing if I should talk to him, she thought. "I don't like it here."

Leo kept on staring at her, staring through her. "Just—just tell me why." His voice broke.

She gazed at him, her expression slowly morphing into stone. "You know why." Then her eyes widened, because she didn't know if those words counted when it came to breaking the rule. So confused, she thought. I'm so confused.

And scared.

"Look, I don't care about what that goddess said, okay?" Leo insisted, his voice raising. "I don't care if she thinks you should bottle up… your emotions…"

 _But I do!_ she wanted to yell. _I care!_ But that stupid, stupid warning forced her to stifle her words. And now without them being let out, her tears stubbornly pushed through in their place. "I don't," she mumbled instead.

"You don't what?" Leo breathed.

"I don't have emotions anymore." When he didn't say anything, she added, "For you. Emotions for you." Then she noticed that his hands were clenched into tight fists, and the broken look on his face made her think, Don't make this harder for me. Please. "You can't rescue everyone from everything, Leo. So stop. Stop trying."

He shook his head, lips parted. "You can't hurt me any more if you just tell me how you really feel, you know?"

"Leo, don't. You should never have taken me out of of my island."

"Themis's punishment wouldn't be worse than this."

"I want to leave. I'm not staying here. And you can't change my mind." She hugged her elbows. "I wish… I wish we never met."

Leo clenched his jaw. "You don't mean that."

Of course I don't, she thought. "I do."

"Calypso—just stop. Don't be this way."

"What are you trying to do?" she asked him.

Leo shortened the distance between them, he reached his arms out to clasp her shoulders, looking into her stony eyes. "I'm trying to make you tell me the truth."

"What truth?" she asked. Inwardly, she wailed, Why? Don't you know what could happen? Her heart beat as if she had just ran a marathon, and she felt queasy. "I am telling you the truth—that's why it's so hard!"

"Just stop!"' he yelled. "Screw what that law titaness said. You think what she has to offer is worse than me losing you?" He was breathing heavily, his fingers gripping tightly on her shoulders.

"Don't, Leo." She shook his hands off. "I mean it."

"Don't what? Try and get through this together? Talk to you?"

"Yes. Don't try. I'm not going to give in, if that's what you're thinking. I've got nothing to give in to."

"I—" He swallowed. Then he spoke, slowly at first, "I was there with you in Ogygia. You hated me at first, but then that changed. You wanted me to leave. You wanted to leave yourself. You said the gods were unfair. I—I tried to change that for you." His clothes started to smolder subtly. "I talked with you. We worked on the sand together. Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters. You remember that. It was—it was great. And that's when the raft came, because you felt it, too. And I didn't want to leave you, because I care for you, and want you to be happy. So I had to come back, because I couldn't think of a situation where I would do otherwise. And you did want to leave, yeah? It's okay, I know. I know what you're doing, but you don't have to keep on doing it. Because I love you. That won't change. You're not going to hurt me if you do, too. You're not, all right? Not like that. Don't get caught up in Themis's words. Please. Then I'd lose you, and how worse can that be from the punishment?"

Calypso shut her eyes, rocking back and forth on her feat unsteadily. You're making it way too hard for me, she thought. I love you, too.

And now, since she can't express her feelings out loud, they're all forced to be bottled inside her mind, and it's tiring. Why couldn't you just stay in the island forever, Leo? rang a selfish thought. _You're the best person I've ever met, and I don't want to lose you._ "I shouldn't have left Ogygia," she whispered aloud, bottom lip quivering.

Leo looked at her longingly, steam curling up the sleeves and collar of his fireproof white button-up, and it was hard for Calypso to tell what he was thinking, except that his thoughts were probably desolating. She wanted to know, and she also didn't.

Her legs feeling weak, she faltered backwards. Leo placed a hand on stack of wooden crates before him and one crate instantly burst into flames. Wide-eyed, he patted the fire a few quick times with his hand and it quickly smothered, revealing the scorched wood of the corner of a crate and leaving behind swirling ash.

Well, that's a good representation of us, Calypso thought.

Leo stared at the blackened corner, tapping the finger of his resting hand once against it. He then flicked his head up, gazing silently through the coiling, tapered tips of his hair. After a beat, he told her, "I'm not going to pretend nothing has happened and accept your guise of not feeling anything."

"Leo, I think you should just leave me alone."

"Don't tell me what I should do when I know that's not what I really should do." His hands burst into flames again, but he didn't seem to care, his gaze as intent and searing as the flames enveloping his fingers and palms. "You can't shut me out again, I've had more than enough of that," he mumbled.

She slumped, her fingers digging into her palms. How she just wanted to go over and hug him tightly (though not flames and all). How she wanted to put her lips onto his and wipe away the bleakness in his eyes, feel his fingers in her hair. How she wanted to close the distance between them and tell him everything. Tell him that she loved him too.

But she couldn't. She couldn't or she would really lose him. But if she didn't, would she also lose him? The smoke began to billow in the air, licking and curling against the ceiling of the room, and Calypso racked her brain for anything she could say to make him give up. She might have been cruel, but she was doing this for both of them.

"I swear on the River Styx," she pronounced with heartbreaking clarity, "I will never show my love in the manner of Eros to you again."

In a few seconds, Leo's fire had blown out like the rain had just drenched it. The inferno in his eyes diminished and flickered off, leaving space for despairing anguish to fill. The charred planks of the wooden crate clunked to the floor at his feet, and his mouth set in agony. He clutched his hair, knotting it between his fingers. "Take that back," he said, his voice barely audible.

Calypso gripped her fingers tightly, curling them into one another. "You know an oath on the Styx can't be reversed. And I wouldn't want to take it back even if I could."

Leo let his hand fall. His brows creeping towards each other in understanding, he turned away and swiftly pushed his way out. The door slammed shut behind him, and once again Calypso was drowning in darkness, and it wasn't easy to breathe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Leo stumbled his way past the wooden architecture of the main deck, his mind ablazed. No one was here. Good. He didn't think he could face any of them if they were. Finally he stopped and kneeled down jarringly, his head in his hands. What did I do? he thought. WhatdidIdowhatdidIdo? He made a mistake. A very big one.

The River Styx. Calypso swore not to love him on the River Styx. She made a mistake, too. A very big one.

Leo pushed his palms into his shut eyes, breathing rapidly through his mouth. This couldn't be happening. Was this happening? Was it real? Gritting his teeth, he pulled his knees tightly to his chest. He felt like crying, and he hated it. Gods. He needed to stop. This wasn't the end of the world. But he couldn't help but feel that devastating empty, gaping hole in his chest. It almost physically hurt. Everyone he loved… were they all going to just leave him now?

Not necessarily true… he had Piper still, and Jason, Hazel, Percy, all the others.

It still hurt, of course. So much.

To be honest, he didn't think Calypso was going to do that, no. He would be lying if he said he'd thought an oath on the River Styx would come out of this.

The tips of his fingers erupted into flames again, and they flicked across the pointed ends of his dark, curling hair, doing no harm to them. Then he smelled smoldering wood, and forced the fire to stop burning. He might've been fireproof, but the Argo II wasn't.

Leaning back against a wooden pole, he punched at the ground hard, clenching his teeth against a wail. His fault. It was always his fault. He kept on playing with fire when everyone around him wasn't immune to it. Couldn't he do something right for once?

How could you do that, Calypso? he had wanted to ask. But perhaps the better question now was, Why do I have to mess up all the time?


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah I took a frickin long time to write this chap—it's because of my long-time buddy procrastination. No excuses; welp, here you go.**

 **P.S. This time I've gotten over my laziness and put in effort to italicize thoughts now. It flows better. I just need to stop being so lazy.**

 **\- m**

 **Chapter 5**

"Do you think they're okay?" Hazel muttered, frowning as she twisted a piece of her dark, shiny hair.

"We have to give them time," Piper responded, looking at her friend's worried large brown eyes. "Sooner or later, we'd know what to do. What's best to do."

* * *

Leo sat down in the mess hall. Alone. It's a bit early for lunch, but he wanted to get this over with as fast as he could so he could keep to himself without anyone pestering him to eat. The others might pester him to talk, and that he would not refuse. He'd do it enough so that they're satisfied, or pretended to be. That's fine. He just wanted to be alone.

But he doesn't—that's why it's so horrible. When you wanted to be alone because of a bad situation that you're in or recently in but ideally you wouldn't want to be alone because that would mean there wasn't a bad situation and everything would be fine. Or finer. At least more fine that it was now.

He took a bite of the stale bread he conjured up. He could've made the magic plate create any food he wanted, and still he was feeling so numb that all he could think of to eat was a piece of stale bread. No, it didn't actually help, but good food wouldn't either. They'd both taste the same, so he didn't bother.

Gazing at the last sad-looking piece of bread like it was himself, Leo picked it up and stared at it tiredly as it caught fire, blackening against his hot red fingers. With the last bit of his meal reduced to ashes, Leo tossed it aside and stood. Then he stopped and rested his hand against the rough wooden table, lost in thought.

Would Calypso be eating? Would she bring herself to do it? Or was she going to just shut herself in that room? That dark one with nothing but dust and brown wooden crates. And a trace of ash. A hint of smoke.

She couldn't just not eat, he reasoned, because—because she was mortal now. Leo's head raised with realization on something he hadn't even thought about before. Her immortality only existed on Ogygia, right? If she left, she would age, like a normal person… not like that'd be any better for them. Leo and Calypso, that was. They weren't… much, right now. Or ever.

Okay. He'd stay afloat. Leo glanced around. The others might be here soon, and he wanted to disappear, so disappear he would. Tapping his finger one last impulsive time on the mess hall table, he walked off.

* * *

Footsteps sounded off on the other side of the door. She shuffled, not paying attention, and knocked over a crate. The steps stopped. Then they became slightly louder, finally getting close enough to interrupt the thin slit of light coming through under the bottom of the door.

"Is anyone in here?" asked a male voice.

Calypso jerked her head up. She wiped her tears hastily on the back of her hand, pleading that the person would just leave.

The door opened anyway, despite her wishing that it wouldn't. The light stung her eyes—she had been sitting in the darkness for so long now—and she blinked the harshness of it away. After a few seconds, she could make out Percy standing at the door, brows furrowed in confusion. "Calypso?" he murmured. "What are you—"

"I'm not doing anything," she interrupted. _So go away._

"Are you okay?" he asked. He looked at her for another second before taking a long stride forward and kneeling down in front of her. "What's going on?" She peered down at him, sure that her eyes were looking quite red and teary.

"Uh…" she drawled. This was a situation she'd never been in. She didn't know how to respond, staring at his overcast green eyes. Life here… it was so different than what she was used to for thousands of years. What should she do? How should she react? "Um," she started, her voice shaky, "I guess we—me and Leo—are not really… okay." She left it at that, not knowing if she'd said the right thing. She just wanted to make everything easier, but it's all so confusing. Also… she just wanted to see him.

But that would only hurt.

"What happened?" Percy wondered worriedly. "Did Themis do something?"

Calypso looked at him pointedly. "We aren't supposed—I don't think I should be here." She swallowed. "Do you think that I—that I should find a way back to Ogygia? And stay there? Do you think that would make things normal again?"

" _No_ —" Percy whispered incredulously. "What do you mean, ' _normal_ '? What isn't right now? And what makes you think that'd be better? That's the opposite of what you and Leo were fighting for just moments ago. Unless… there's a very good reason why you should?" He waited, impatient and expectant.

"I—" A sob escaped her throat involuntarily, shaking her body. Calypso whimpered, struggling to hold back the moisture slowly building up in her eyes as she hung her head. "I kind of…" Then she snapped her head up, eyes wide, and whispered, "Oh Gods, I really shouldn't have done it, should I."

"Calypso," pronounced Percy. "What did you do?"

She lowered her gaze to him slowly. "I thought it'd be better—I—I don't want him to get hurt. Percy… I swore on the river Styx to never love Leo in the manner of Eros again."

Percy's eyes grew wide. "You _what_?" He got to his feet in a blink. "The River Styx? That's _binding_."

"Don't you think I know?" she exclaimed, then said in a voice barely above a whisper, "I meant for it to be."

"Why did you do it?"

She forced words from her mouth, sounding strained, "He can be in danger because of me! If I were to show my love to him—I don't want to know what would happen. Themis made sure of that. There wasn't another way. If there was, I would've found it." She clenched her jaw, partly in resolution, partly to keep her bottom lip from quivering uncontrollably.

"Calypso—" Percy started, tense, "Leo rescued you from the island that no man finds twice because that's how much he cares for you. Do you think doing this is good for him?"

"His life _matters_ , Percy."

"Yes! It does!" he yelled, and Calypso thought, I didn't mean for it to get this loud. "And you know what? It's you."

Calypso flinched away from him. She had to. She didn't need this.

She knew how wrong this felt—she wasn't blind to what she was doing. There was no other way as effective as this one. She would be one to know. Of course she would! She was doing this because the last thing she wanted was to lose Leo—otherwise, what would she be struggling for? Percy wasn't helping. Did he think she felt okay making this decision? Not only that, she knew every bad thing that might happen to Leo would be all on her, anyway. Couldn't others tell?

This wasn't easy, okay? It didn't feel good, all right? She wasn't fine about this, was that clear enough yet? Staring at Percy's dreadful expression, Calypso just wanted to curl up and suffocate. Let's just get that weight on her chest to grow even heavier, to sink even deeper. Taking a shaky breath, she drawled, "Okay… Then tell me what you would've done if Annabeth might die if you showed her your love." Calypso bit her tongue too late. The words tasted appalling on it, and she couldn't get rid of their terrible bitterness. She looked away quickly, not wanting to see Percy's face. Needless to say, it worked. And needless to say, she felt worse than ever.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I didn't mean to say that. It's horrible. I'm horrible." _...I know._

The air was still and silent and tense. So tense. No one spoke—she felt caught in a bubble of dread, worry, hurt, and longing in the middle of an empty ocean. She could neither float to the surface nor sink into nothingness. It was dark down here. No hands could come down and pull her back up now. She's stuck, and it's her fault for jumping in the first place.

Calypso shut her eyes, letting and seeing clearer shadowy tendrils of anticipation wrap around her.

Eleven words pounded beat by beat like a pulse inside her aching head: _Why. Why do I have to mess up all the time?_

There was no way out.


End file.
